


Omnipresent Risk of a Once Forbidden Dalliance, The

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Drama, Episode: s01e22 What Kind of Day Has It Been, Episode: s02e01 In the Shadow of Two Gunmen Part I, Episode: s02e02 In the Shadow of Two Gunmen Part II, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-01-12
Updated: 2007-01-12
Packaged: 2019-05-31 10:34:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15117560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: "Someone wants to kill you because I love you.  I don't know...how can I wrap my mind around that?"





	Omnipresent Risk of a Once Forbidden Dalliance, The

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

This couldn’t be happening…this really could not be happening. There was mass hysteria in Rosslyn, Virginia tonight. Blood, glass, screaming, death…Sam was so disoriented he nearly plowed down CJ. That was about an hour ago. Now they sat in a GW waiting room doing just that. The President of the United States had been shot, though Leo assured the shaken staff that the injury was not life threatening. Josh might not be so lucky. His wound was in the chest and while Sam was no doctor, it didn’t look good. He wanted to be in there with him; make sure his best friend knew how much he cared. Too much was going on and he would have to sit, waiting until Leo forced him to go back to the White House. At least he knew that would be soon. So many things needed to be done.

“Excuse me, Mr. Seaborn.”

Sam turned when he heard his name. It was one of the female Secret Service agents and the Deputy felt a lump form in his throat. He stood, turned to look at her, and hoped he did not look as frightened as he felt.

“Your girlfriend is here. I'm sorry sir; we can't let her in the room since she is not on staff.”

“Tish.”

Sam bolted out into the hallway. There she stood, tears streaming down her face. They rushed to each other, tried to find a way to hold each other tighter. Tish sobbed, not caring at all how uncool it was. Sam was able to let go and he cried too.

“I'm OK honeybug, I'm OK.”

“Oh God I was so scared. What the hell happened?”

He led her over to a set of chairs and they sat down.

“There was a shooting tonight at our town hall meeting in Rosslyn, Virginia. The President was shot.”

“Oh my God! Is he going to be alright?”

“Yeah. Josh was shot too and we just don't know. They're both in surgery right now.”

“I cannot believe this is happening. I was at my parents’ house but I rushed back. Well, I tried to rush back. There are checkpoints, detours…I think every cop in the DC Metro area is on the road. Plus FBI and state police from Virginia and Maryland. It is insane.”

“It is definitely an insane kind of night.” He replied.

They were both quiet for a while. Tish needed to touch him, to feel every part of him. His face, his shoulders, his arms, and his chest. She pulled him close again, unable to stop the tears. Sam rubbed her back.

“I'm going to have to get back in there.” He whispered. “Then I have to go to the White House. This will be one of the longest days of my life and I don’t even know how I'm going to make it through.”

Tish nodded as he wiped her tears. Sam kissed her softly then he did it again.

“I’ll go to the chapel and I’ll pray.” She said.

“That’s appreciated. I don’t know when I will be able to…”

“Its alright.” She put her hand on his thigh. They didn’t need to do that tonight. “Just call me whenever you can. I won't call you.”

“I love you so much.” Sam could barely breathe as he said it. While he held his breath in a gun battle tonight all he thought of was Tish. The way she smiled; the way she laughed. How they woke up some mornings holding hands. The feel of her body in her arms…her body underneath his. Gentle ribbing, joke telling, movie watching, and wine drinking…he would experience none of that again if he was shot and killed. “I need you to know that. I need you to know you mean so much to me and I…oh God I was scared of never seeing you again.”

They hugged and Sam kissed her neck.

“Go.” She said. “Do a good job Sam Seaborn. I love you too.”

Tish squeezed his hand and a Secret Service Agent led her to the chapel. Sam looked after her for a little while and then went back to his job.

***

He went on the morning shows and as noon approached, Sam was facing his 30th hour awake. Something had to give. CJ had just confronted him; he returned her necklace. Now he walked back to his office, running his fingers through his hair and trying to figure out when he could get the hell out of there.

“Hello Riley.”

Agent Riley Pendleton stood in Sam’s office. Sam was surprised to see him…he hoped he hadn't done anything wrong. Pendleton was Ron Butterfield’s #2 guy and Sam knew that he’d been one of the five people who saved the President’s life last night.

“Sam, we need to have a conversation.” As usual the Agent was all business.

“Um OK.” He closed the door. “Did I say something wrong; on television? Was protocol violated?”

“It has nothing to do with that.”

Sam nodded, sitting down at his desk. He had no idea what was about to happen. He knew there was a Senior Staff meeting at one and he wanted to call Tish before then. He knew his head was killing him, and he knew that he was hungry.

“What's happening?”

“As you know West Virginia White Pride is responsible for what happened last night.”

“Yeah.”

“They tried to kill Charles Young for being romantically involved with the President’s daughter.”

“I know.”

“Their headquarters was raided approximately an hour ago by federal agents and State Police. Inside a hit list was found.”

“No.” Sam shook his head.

“Tish McTiernan is on that list.”

“What…what do we do?”

“Put her under immediate Secret Service protection. It’s a bit unconventional but nothing will be overlooked or taken lightly.”

“Why is it unconventional?” Sam asked.

“She is not your spouse and therefore doesn’t fall under the blanket of security that protects you. Agent Butterfield set it up through her father.”

“Her father knows about this?”

“No, as a person over the age of 25 the Secret Service is not required to notify him. We need to speak with Miss McTiernan immediately.”

“I need to talk to her first.”

“Sam, I don’t know if you understand the gravity of this but…”

Sam smirked though he didn’t intend to.

“Riley, I was shot at. I had to pull CJ down or she would probably have a bullet straight through her. The President was shot and my best friend could die. I think the gravity of this will be in the forefront of mind for a long time to come.”

“I didn’t mean to assume it wasn’t. Several members of White Virginia White Pride were arrested but we have no way of knowing how many people had access to this list. Miss McTiernan is in danger…I cannot stress that enough.”

“Alright. Please just let me call her; we have every intention of cooperating.”

“Alright. Thank you for your time.”

The two men shook hands and the agent left. OK, now things were even more out of control if that were humanly possible.

***

Tish was at her apartment filling a portfolio with photos when Sam got there. Leo told him to go; they would be alright. If she were truly in danger he was going to be no use to them tonight anyway. He needed to be with her.

“You sounded frantic on the voicemail.” She said as he sat. “I would have called back but you said you were on your way. Why didn’t you want me to leave the apartment?”

“There's no way to soften this so I’ll get right to the point.”

“OK.”

“Your life may be in danger and the Secret Service wants to put you under protection.”

“What? My life is in danger? What are you talking about?”

He told her all about West Virginia White Pride and that the President was not the target of the assassination attempt. They were after Charlie for dating Zoey…the Secret Service weren’t even sure if Zoey was a target. He told her that her name was found on a hit list at their headquarters. Ron Butterfield and his people were taking all threats, great and small, very seriously. Tish would be put under immediate Secret Service protection indefinitely.

“I'm sorry Tish, I know you like your freedom but it’s not really a request.”

“It’s fine with me. Is my life really…?”

“They don’t know. I was not made aware of how long this list was, just that your name was on it. All I care about is keeping you safe. We have to contact the Secret Service before the end of the day.”

“Yeah, OK.”

She went to the kitchen, coming back with two beers. She handed one to Sam.

“You seem remarkably calm about this.” He said. “Can I just tell you I'm scared out of my mind?”

“Why?”

“You can't be serious? Someone tried to kill Charlie because he fell in love with a girl. They shot Josh, the President, and other innocent people instead. Someone wants to kill you because I love you. I don’t know…how can I wrap my mind around that?”

“Hey hey, I didn’t mean to make light of it.” Tish sat beside him on the couch, taking both his hands in hers. “I'm sorry Sam. It’s just that I've dealt with this kind of thing in one way or another for my whole life. My parents married when interracial marriage was looked upon with disdain by most. We've all had our share of death threats over the years. I'm also used to Secret Service protection…whether I like it or not. It’s best for us just to cooperate.”

“That’s how I feel. Keeping you safe is my top priority.”

“I'm going to be fine. There are plenty of other things we need to think about right now.”

She wanted to hold onto him; just remember that he was alright. She was too and would deal with all the other changes that came along with this attempt on their lives.

“You need to rest.” Tish said. “Your eyes are bloodshot and you have bags.”

“I'm utterly exhausted.”

“Come take a nap Sparky…you're going to fall over.”

She pulled him off the couch, held both of his hands, and walked backwards with him into the bedroom. Sam smiled as she took off his tie and went for his shirt.

“I would much rather undress you.” He said.

It wasn’t difficult because Tish was dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a Pink Floyd tee shirt. She loved the feel of his clothes on her naked skin. She pulled him down on the bed on top of her.

“I love you so much Sam.” She whispered.

“Me too.”

He wanted to touch her, taste her, and feel her as much as he could. Even lying there next to her Sam still felt a foreboding; the sense that more bad things were to come. He felt empty, like she wasn’t there at all and it was a dream. Maybe she was lying in that hospital bed and not Josh. It boggled his mind that anyone would want to hurt Tish, especially because of the color of her skin. Her soft, fragrant skin.

“Oh God, ohhh Sam.”

His fingers moved inside of her as Tish held on to his wrist. She arched her back and he took a hard nipple between his lips, moaning against her skin as he sucked her hard.

“Oh God! Sam!” she moaned his name over and over, her body shuddering as she climaxed. “Oh, that felt so…”

Sam cut her off with a passionate kiss. He could not get undressed fast enough, breathing a sigh when his skin touched her. They rolled over and Tish rode him slow.

“More! Harder!” Sam commanded, holding on to her hips.

They began to move together, up and down, Sam meeting her every stroke with a thrust. His hands caressed her breasts and Tish leaned into his touch. Her eyes were closed but Sam watched her facial expression change with every height they reached. He found her clit, loving the way she cried out when he touched her there.

“Don’t stop! Don’t stop Sam! Make me cum!”

He did what she asked and only when she was fulfilled did he let go. They lay there, on top of the covers, catching their breath. Sam sighed and held her close. It surprised him when Tish started to cry. He stroked her back.

“Its OK honey just let it all out. I won't let you go.”

Tish sobbed for a few minutes, trying to get herself together. After completely opening herself it was definitely time for a cigarette. She covered with Sam’s shirt but he was happy she didn’t bother with the buttons. In her favorite oversized wicker chair Tish lit a Camel Light. Sam, throwing a sheet over himself, looked at her. His eyelids were heavy.

“You're so beautiful.” He murmured.

“Not really.”

“Oh no, I'm not just blowing smoke. I'm completely serious.”

“I know Sparky. You're also delirious from a lack of sleep.”

“That’s probably true.” He snickered then smiled.

Tish watched him as he fell asleep. She loved the way he looked when he slept…like a little boy who had a long day. What happened to the Bartlet Administration in the past 24 hours would certainly constitute as a long day. Josh’s surgery had been successful though doctors were guarded about his recovery. He lost a lot of blood and tissue. The President rested comfortably in a secured room, knowing he would be alright. 

Tomorrow morning Tish would have at least one new friend. She took the job at Femme magazine; the staff would probably get a kick out of the agents. She would have to call her parents and let them know…her father would be overprotective. Her mother would tell her to walk tall. She knew them both well. She would stay with Sam and love him; no skinhead would scare her out of her happiness.

“Come and sleep with me.” Sam turned over on his side and opened his eyes. “You have to leave the shirt though.”

Tish put out her cigarette, slid the shirt down her arms, and climbed into bed with him. They spooned and the healthy thump of Sam’s heartbeat soothed her. He brushed her hair aside to kiss her neck. 

“Go to sleep Sparky; you need to rest. I will be here when you wake up.”

“Mmm, I'm so glad of that.”

“Where else would I go? This is my apartment.”

“Ha ha, Tish made a funny.”

“I love you Sam.”

“I love you too honeybug.”

***


End file.
